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Majesco Entertainment
Majesco Entertainment Company (formerly Majesco Sales Inc.) is an American video game publisher and distributor based in Hazlet, New Jersey. The company was founded as Majesco Sales in Edison, New Jersey in 1986, and was a privately held company until acquiring operation-less company ConnectivCorp in a reverse merger takeover, becoming its subsidiary and thus a public company on December 5, 2003. ConnectivCorp later changed its name to Majesco Holdings Inc. on April 13, 2004. On December 1, 2016, Majesco Entertainment was acquired by PolarityTE, Inc., a biotech company, in another reverse merger takeover, because of which it formally ceased all video game operations on December 8, 2016. In mid-2017, chief executive officer Jesse Sutton re-acquired the company through a management buyout and continued operating it privately held. In January 2018, Liquid Media Group announced the acquisition of Majesco. News|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}} History Majesco was first known as a reissuer of old titles that had been abandoned by their original publisher. By cutting the prices and eventually arranging the rights to self-manufacture games for both Nintendo and Sega systems, the company found a sustainable market niche. Later, Majesco arranged with Sega to manufacture a version of its Genesis (known as Mega Drive outside North America) 16-bit console, which had been superseded by the 32-bit Saturn. It released this in 1998 as the Genesis 3 and followed up with a version of the handheld Game Gear called the Game Gear Core System. The company's focus shifted to in-house game development, initially under the brand Pipe-Dream Interactive since few believed they could make the transition successfully. Majesco focused on developing for then-current generation systems, such as Nintendo's GameCube and Game Boy Advance, Microsoft's Xbox, and Sony's PlayStation 2. A few of the titles it released, involving popular characters, included a few Bomberman titles for the Gamecube and Game Boy Advance. Majesco also published PC games with Terminal Reality as the developer, such as BloodRayne and BloodRayne 2. In 2003, Majesco was slated to publish Black9, but producers forced the developers, Taldren, Inc., to shut down when the game was about 85% complete. The publisher had reached financial trouble with its larger-budget games, such as Psychonauts, which sold poorly although receiving several awards and critical acclaim, and Advent Rising, which generated intense hype but was ultimately panned by critics for being released prematurely and without adequate bug testing. Its best-selling titles in the last few years have been the series of GBA Videos for the Game Boy Advance. It also published the game Jaws Unleashed. On January 19, 2006, the company's financial situation worsened to the degree that it had to cancel two games it was going to publish: Demonik, developed by Terminal Reality, and Taxi Driver, a sequel to the movie. Majesco's president, Jesse Sutton, said that in the future the company would "focus primarily on publishing value and handheld video games." Since that announcement, the company has followed through with publishing successful budget titles in North America like Cooking Mama for the DS. On September 14, 2006, Majesco released Advent Rising and re-released BloodRayne and BloodRayne 2 on Steam. On November 6, 2007, Majesco announced the opening of a new development facility in the Los Angeles area dedicated to the development of casual game products and properties. On December 10, 2007, Majesco announced that they would be publishing a rhythm-based game, Major Minor's Majestic March, exclusively for the Wii developed by NanaOn-Sha. Majesco has announced that it will be launching an internet version of Bananagrams on August 18, 2008 that will be available on Facebook, a social networking website. On November 4, 2009, Majesco released BloodRayne and BloodRayne 2 on GOG.com. On June 6, 2011, Majesco announced that it was acquiring the assets of social game developer Quick Hit and Quick Hit Football to build out its social gaming strategy. In August 2013, Majesco announced the creation of an indie publishing label, Midnight City, in order to bring various indie games to consoles. After a disastrous fiscal year of 2013, the company was expected to enjoy a recovering growth in 2014. However, this proved incorrect, as they continued to lose large amounts of money in 2014, resulting in the closure of Midnight City and the cancellation of the console port of Gone Home. In August 2015, Majesco announced that they had appointed a new CEO, and that only five employees would remain in the company. The company's focus also shifted to develop mobile and downloadable titles. Two new titles, Glue and a new installment in the A Boy and His Blob franchise, were announced after the reconstruction. In December 2016, Majesco announced it was ceasing operations in the entertainment industry, and merged with biotech firm PolarityTE. Polarity will obtain Majesco's NASDAQ symbol name, COOL. In June 2017, PolarityTE divested itself entirely of and subsequently sold, Majesco Entertainment's assets, which were subsequently taken private, leading to the rebirth of the company as an independent corporation. In November 2017, Majesco announced that it had re-entered the video game business after having previously been brought back to a privately held company, release their Romans from Mars onto Steam. On January 15, 2018, 51 percent of Majesco was bought by Liquid Media Group, and Jesse Sutton became LMG's Gaming Advisor. Games published * 3 Games in One "Majesco's Sports Pack" (Game Boy Advance) * Advent Rising (Xbox, Microsoft Windows) * Aeon Flux (PlayStation 2, Xbox) * Age of Empires: The Age of Kings (Nintendo DS) * Air Traffic Chaos (Nintendo DS) * Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (Nintendo DS, Wii) * Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (Nintendo DS, Wii, Xbox 360) * Attack of the Movies 3D (Wii, Xbox 360) * ATV: Quad Frenzy (Nintendo DS) * Away: Shuffle Dungeon (Nintendo DS), North America * Babysitting Mama (Wii) * Babysitting Mania (Nintendo DS) * BattleBots: Beyond the BattleBox (Game Boy Advance) * BattleBots: Design & Destroy (Game Boy Advance) * Black and Bruised (GameCube, PlayStation 2) * Blast Works: Build, Trade, Destroy (Wii) * Blokus Portable: Steambot Championship (PSP) * BloodRayne (PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Microsoft Windows) * BloodRayne 2 (PlayStation 2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows) * BloodRayne: Betrayal (PS3, Xbox 360) * BlowOut (PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox and Xbox Originals on Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows) * Bomberman Generation (Nintendo GameCube) * Bomberman Jetters (Nintendo GameCube) * Bomberman Max 2: Blue Advance (Game Boy Advance) * Bomberman Max 2: Red Advance (Game Boy Advance) * Boxing Fever (Game Boy Advance) * A Boy and His Blob (Wii) * Brain Boost: Beta Wave (Nintendo DS), North America * Brain Boost: Gamma Wave (Nintendo DS), North America * Bust-a-Move Bash! (Wii) * Bust-a-Move Deluxe (Nintendo DS) * Bust-a-Move DS (Nintendo DS), North America * Camping Mama (Nintendo DS), North America * Cartoon Network: Block Party (Game Boy Advance) * Centipede (video game) (Game Boy Color) * Cooking Mama (Nintendo DS), North America * Camping Mama: Outdoor Adventures (Nintendo DS), North America * Cooking Mama: Cook Off (Wii), North America * Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends (Nintendo DS), North America * Cooking Mama: World Kitchen (Wii), North America * Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop (Nintendo DS), North America * Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic (Nintendo 3DS), North America * Cooking Mama 5: Bon Appétit! (Nintendo 3DS), North America * Crafting Mama (Nintendo DS) * Dance Sensation! (Wii) * The Daring Game for Girls (Nintendo DS, Wii) * Dark Arena (Game Boy Advance) * Data East Arcade Classics (Wii) * Dawn of Heroes (Nintendo DS) * Dino Master: Dig, Discover, Duel (Nintendo DS) * Double Dragon Neon developed by WayForward Technologies (PS3, Xbox 360) * Drake of the 99 Dragons (Xbox, Microsoft Windows) * Drama Queens (Nintendo DS) * Eco-Creatures: Save the Forest (Nintendo DS), North America * Escape the Museum (Wii) * F24 Stealth Fighter (Nintendo DS) * Face Racers: Photo Finish (Nintendo 3DS) * Fish Tycoon (Nintendo DS) * Flip's Twisted World developed by Frozen North Productions (Wii) * Fortress (Game Boy Advance) * Freddi Fish: Kelp Seed Mystery (Wii) * Furu Furu Park (Wii), North America * FusionFall (PC) * Gardening Mama (Nintendo DS), North America * Gardening Mama 2: Forest Friends (Nintendo 3DS), North America * Go Play: Circus Star (Wii) * Go Play: City Sports (Wii) * Go Play: Lumberjacks (Wii) * Golden Nugget Casino DS (Nintendo DS) * Greg Hastings' Paintball 2 (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360) * Guilty Gear: Dust Strikers (Nintendo DS) * Guilty Gear: Judgment (PSP) * Gun Metal (Xbox, Microsoft Windows) * Hello Kitty Party (Nintendo DS) * The Hidden (Nintendo 3DS) * Hot 'n' Cold (Nintendo DSiWare) * Hulk Hogan's Main Event (Kinect) * HSX: Hypersonic Xtreme (PlayStation 2) * Infected (PSP) * Jaws Unleashed (PlayStation 2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows) * Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2009 (Wii) * Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2010 (Nintendo DS, Wii) * Jillian Michaels' Pocket Trainer (Nintendo DS) * Kengo: Legend of the 9 (Xbox 360) * Kong: King of Atlantis (Game Boy Advance) * Left Brain, Right Brain (Nintendo DS) * Left Brain, Right Brain 2 (Nintendo DS) * Let's Draw (Nintendo DS) * Lion's Pride: Adventures in the Serengeti (Nintendo 3DS) * Mad Dog McCree: Gunslinger Pack (Wii) * Major Minor's Majestic March (Wii) * Marker Man Adventures (Nintendo DS) * Maximum Chase (Xbox), published * MechAssault: Phantom War (Nintendo DS) * Mega Brain Boost (Nintendo DS) * Monaco: What's Yours is Mine (Xbox 360) * Monster Bomber (Nintendo DS) * Monster Tale (Nintendo DS) * Monster Trucks (Game Boy Advance) * Monster Trucks DS (Nintendo DS) * My Baby 3 & Friends (Nintendo DS) * Nacho Libre (Nintendo DS) * Nancy Drew: The Deadly Secret of Olde World Park (Nintendo DS) * Nancy Drew: The Mystery of the Clue Bender Society (Nintendo DS) * Nano Assault (Nintendo 3DS) * Nanostray (Nintendo DS) * Nanostray 2 (Nintendo DS) * NBA Baller Beats (Kinect) * The New York Times Crosswords (Nintendo DS) * Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Nintendo DS, Wii, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows) * Operation: Vietnam (Nintendo DS) * Orchard (Microsoft Windows) * Our House (Nintendo DS) * Pajama Sam: Don't Fear The Dark (Wii) * Pet Pals: Animal Doctor (Nintendo DS) * Pet Zombies in 3D (Nintendo 3DS) * Phantom Dust (Xbox) * Pirates Plund-Arrr (Wii) * Pizza Delivery Boy (Wii) * Powerbike (Nintendo DS) * Psychonauts (PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox Originals on Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows) * Puffins: Island Adventure (Nintendo DS) * Quad: Desert Fury (Game Boy Advance) * Raze's Hell (Xbox and Xbox Originals on Xbox 360) * Rollin' Rascals (Nintendo DS) * Sharknado: The Video Game (iOS) * Sideswiped (Nintendo DS) * Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" (Wii) * Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (Nintendo DS) * Summer Camp Showdown (Wii) * Super Black Bass Fishing (Nintendo DS) * Super Hornet F/A 18F (Game Boy Advance) * Super Speed Machines (Nintendo DS) * Swords (Wii) * Teen Titans (Game Boy Advance) * Teen Titans (PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox), Originally published by THQ * Teen Titans 2: The Brotherhood's Revenge (Game Boy Advance) * Texas Hold 'Em Poker (Nintendo DS) * Toon-Doku (Nintendo DS) * Totaled! (Xbox) * Toy Shop (Nintendo DS) * Turn It Around (Nintendo DS) * Twister Mania (Kinect) * Ultimate Game Room (Nintendo DS) * Wild Earth: African Safari (Wii) * Wonder World Amusement Park (Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Wii) * Worms 4: Mayhem (Xbox), North America * Zoo Hospital (Nintendo DS, Wii) * Zumba Fitness (Kinect, PlayStation Move, Wii) References External links * *[http://www.mobygames.com/company/majesco-entertainment-company Majesco Entertainment] profile on MobyGames * Category:Companies Category:Companies based in Monmouth County, New Jersey Category:Hazlet, New Jersey Category:Video game companies established in 1986 Category:American companies established in 1986 Category:Video game companies of the United States Category:Video game development companies Category:Video game publishers Category:1986 establishments in New Jersey Category:Companies formerly listed on NASDAQ Category:Companies established in 1986